TOBA urges owners to support nominations for upcoming racemeets

HORSE RACING should return to normality at Caymanas Park this weekend should owners heed an advisory from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) of Jamaica to have their trainers support nominations for racemeets advertised by promoting company Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL).

TOBA yesterday issued a release, intervening in a trainers-led decision to withhold nominations, which shuttered the Saturday-Sunday meet of July 15-16, continuing with subdued entries, resulting in a six-race programme last Saturday, the first in the history of the 63-year-old racetrack.

Acknowledging the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission’s (BGLC) confirmation of SVREL’s 2022 sales figures of $5.32 billion on local racing, TOBA told owners it has agreed to continue working with the promoting company and the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) “to implement major initiatives towards negating the annual wrangling over prize monies”.

Urging owners to support nominations, starting with Tuesday, July 25, entries for the meet of Saturday, July 29, TOBA said it “hopes the initiatives, if successfully negotiated and implemented, including returning monies derived from the local-racing industry, will lead to a substantial and sustainable purse-money environment as exists in other international racing jurisdictions, historically bringing Jamaica in line with North America, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong, jurisdictions which all access and thrive on purses supplemented by other consistent income streams”.

In closing, TOBA’s release, under the signature of President Howard Hamilton, added:

“Having agreed that the way forward is constant dialogue and working in tandem with SVREL and the JRC to enhance the prospects of the local-racing industry, TOBA encourages full support of the promoting company’s upcoming programme, which hits a high note the first week of August with three racedays in one week - Tuesday, August 1, Emancipation Day, followed by two futurity events, the Jamaica Oaks on Saturday, August 5, and the Jamaica Derby set for Monday, August 7.”